I'm really hoping that they're delaying them until April so Hasbro can do the comic-accurate helmets with the thinner eyes instead of just slapping OT-era Stormtrooper helmets on them.  After all, they fixed the Mandalorian helmets from the Omega/Clone/Mando sets pretty quickly after those were revealed at SDCC last year, so there is a precedent.

No plans for any changes to the products at this time-- the production delays are pretty much just simple production delays, due to a variety of reasons I can't go in to, the item will be shipped a smidge later.  Hopefully by then everybody will already have their Cade/Talon and Ganner/Antares sets...

If the wampa head is a sticker then I'll definitely consider picking up at least one of these.

It's your lucky day-- it is indeed a sticker.  I'm actually a little disappointed, I was hoping for a tampo.   Not that it makes a big deal in terms of cost, but at least it'd match the Gunship in the sense that I didn't have to put labels on it.

A "friend" was wondering if the pit itself will be hard plastic or rubbery.

From the picture, it looks like neither.  Seeing how the light shines off it, it seems like another vac-formed piece similar to the Lars Homestead set.

Just got mine-- looks a lot like the 1997 one, but 50% more expensive.  The new controls are neat but it seems it requires more finagling than I'm willing to do at the moment to get the pilot to grab on to them.  It looks cool, though.

(It could use a new Jann Tosh to go in there.  I'm just saying, is all.)

Just got one for $50... there seem to be plenty to go around mostly all stocked where you can't see them.   Notes:
- Dark blue canopy hides the figures inside
- There is paint on the bottom of the ship that you can't see
- Ball turrets are now painted, were formerly clear
- No stickers of any kind
- All rockets match the ship except the two large ones, which are red
- Landing platform has paint on it
- The side doors are *extremely* stiff-- I thought they were stuck in place they now move so slowly

There's definitely more paint on this than previous releases (no doubt an attempt to add some sort of visual value for a few extra pennies) and it is quite nice.  The Twi'lek girl on the side seems to be done up in the new animated style, before I thought it was going to be "realistic."   It's pretty slick for anyone who doesn't have a Gunship or is jonesing for new Clone Wars goodies, but if this is your second (or fifth), you probably don't  need it.  Of course, I don't listen to reason, so I had to get one anyway.

There's only one thing that I noticed was different about my Cade/Talon set when compared to Adam's reviews - my Cade came with both a lit and unlit lightsaber. The hilt is almost all silver with some black grip lines at near the bottom of the handle and the lit saber has a green blade. I think this meant to be Sia's lightsaber from Issue #6 that the two Imperial Knights come with.

Can you share a picture, by any chance?  I've heard this from one other person and haven't seen it myself.  And I've seen at least 6 of the Cade sets so far.

Yet, you give critiques on several SW items on forums, websites, etc.  Ironic, isn't it?   

It looked like a piece of crap before, and low and behold, it was.  That's all I'm saying...

Some people tell jokes on network TV at 11:30 at night.  Some people write books.  Others work in offices, help people get well, and cure diseases.

I play with and write about small plastic men.  You may as well ask a bird not to sing, or to vomit into the mouths of its young.

I played with it more since I got it and once you remove the igloo from the base, it's less crappy.  Expensive, sure, but it's amazing what juxtaposing an item of modest quality (the igloo) next to a piece of junk (the base) can do for the entire package.  Hasbro may have been better served to merely have sandy-colored cardboard, just because it would remove the "bad" element and just have fewer overall pieces.

I'm not like CHEWIE-- I have no talent, no skills, and can't make a cool custom to save my life.   But *I* could replicate the base out of actual sand sold at TRU, a comb, and, I presume, some hairspray.  (Hey, I've played in the sandbox, I know the score here.)

Also, if you get one of these, take a look at the bottom of the igloo.  There are some holes near the entrance that almost look to me as if there was another kind of base originally planned for this item.  It wouldn't surprise me if they downgraded it as Hasbro talked a lot about costing this item out at Comic-Con and it sounds like there were definite budget considerations in its development.

Given the chance I'd still buy it again.  I wouldn't suggest everyone else do so, but I like to get my hands on these things.

I just bought this in LA and I can confirm that it does indeed suck and/or blow.  The packaging issues aside, the dealbreaker for me here is that the base is a vacuum-formed thin and flimsy plastic.  The actual Lars igloo element is pretty good-- not super-thick, but it feels like it might make a reasonable toy. There's a table under the igloo that's the same color as Beru's blue milk accessories (which were NOT included) and is made from a similar feeling plastic as those accessories.

I feel like the base desert component will, over time, be one of the most broken items in collections.  It really doesn't feel sturdy at all, and I would say it feels like a Halloween costume mask-- you know the kind, with the crappy piece of elastic on it.

I can safely say-- without exaggeration-- with the exception of MAYBE the metal hilt/plastic blade lightsabers-- this may be the flimsiest feeling toy Kenner or Hasbro produced in the modern line.  I'd say it seemed barely worth the $49.99 on paper, but now that I have it in my hands, I can say if you're on the fence, don't bother.  Although it may be worth it if you don't have the figures or vaporator.

Oh, and the Womp Rat is a single-piece PVC figure with no articulation.  Owen and Beru have paint jobs about a half a notch below their original releases.  The Sandtrooper is really just fine, but is missing his Saga/Saga Legends accessories.

I know a lot of people say "don't wait for clearance," but seriously, wait for clearance.  Or coupons.  I had some bonus store credit and even with a decent discount, I think I'd feel this is-- at best-- a $25-$30 piece.   If they used a better plastic for the base, it'd be a good item at-- maybe-- $40ish.

I am now officially nervous to see how the Pit of Carkoon turns out.